Categories

Meta

Month: November 2010

Many young members of the DUP attended the annual Party Conference at La Mon Hotel, Castlereagh. Of particular interest was one of the lunchtime workshops on offer entitled ‘Young Political Leadership – A View from the Front Line’, in which a panel including the chairmen of Queen’s DUA and University of Ulster DUP and Councillors Alison Brimstone, Gavin Robinson and Sharon Skillen each shared some of their personal political experiences and gave their views on the role of young people in the Party.

Several officers of the Democratic Unionist Association attended the Remembrance Ceremony at the War Memorial at Queen’s on Remembrance Sunday. The Chairman laid a wreath on behalf of the association, as did representatives of other University organisations.

“In remembrance of those who laid down their lives in two world wars and subsequent conflicts in defence of our freedoms. Also in tribute to the brave men and women of the RUC, UDR, RIR and PSNI in protecting Ulster.”

East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson questioned the Universities Minister, David Willets, regarding tuition fees on Wednesday in the House of Commons. Sammy Wilson said:

“The Government says that it is committed to a better deal for students, but an increase in cost of 100% does not seem like a good deal to me.

I asked the Minister what steps he intends to take to ensure that universities do not just put up fees but first look at how they can reduce the cost of providing courses, which are in some cases excessive.

I was pleased to hear that the Minister agreed with the point that I had made, and that he said that pressure will be put on universities to ensure that efficiencies are made before tuition fees are increased.

I hope that this will be the case, and I will continue to press the Minister to ensure that that pressure is applied.

Many of my constituents are understandably very concerned about the rising cost of university education and I hope that universities will seriously consider how they can be more efficient rather than just see fee increases as an answer to reduced government funding.”